The Aliens Have Landed In Bayville
by Rowena Zahnrei
Summary: While playing baseball at the mansion, Kurt discovers something strange in the pond, something blobby and yellow that no one can identify. Could it be that aliens have landed in Bayville? Kurt and Kitty set out to investigate. Please Review!
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. Please don't sue me or steal my story. Thanks!

**The Aliens Have Landed in Bayville  
**by Rowena

_Plink!_

"He popped it!" Jubilee shrieked from the pitcher's mound. "It's a fly ball!"

The rest of the team took up the shout, but Kurt was already running, his golden eyes squinted against the glare of the summer sun as he tracked the ball with his glove outstretched. What he didn't see was that Jamie Madrox was doing just the same, only from the opposite direction.

"Kurt, Jamie, look out!" Jean called out from first. Jamie and Kurt both tried to swerve, but Jamie didn't have Kurt's acrobatic agility. The brown-haired boy overbalanced and fell on his face in the grass. The impact caused the young mutant's power to activate and, within moments, there were about a dozen perfect copies of Jamie Madrox lying sprawled all over the field, moaning in embarrassed annoyance.

The ball was still in the air, but it was falling fast. Kurt dived over a Jamie in a desperate attempt to head it off, but he was too late. The ball landed in the turf with a soft _thud_ and immediately began rolling down the slight incline towards the pond.

"Nein!" Kurt exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. Several of the Jamies headed after the fuzzy blue teen, attempting to surround the ball before it was lost forever in the tepid water's murky depths. The pond was pretty shallow, but it was slimy and filmy and often stank of rot. No one in their right mind would willingly stick their hand in there, except on a bet or a dare. And Kurt, with his short, indigo fur, had even more reason to keep away.

_Splish!_

"Aw, no," the Jamies groaned.

"Crap!" came Jubilee's heartfelt contribution as she ran up beside them. "The ball's in the muck and Drake got two runs. What the heck is wrong with you, Jamie!"

"Me!" four of the Jamies chorused. "What did I do?"

"You ran into left field, that's what you did! You should have left the ball to Kurt!"

"That's not fair!" a Jamie scowled. "Nothing ever happens in right field."

"Exactly!" Jubilee snapped. "Why d'you think we put you out there! Just look at this!" She glared around at all the pouting Jamies. "What are we supposed to do with all of you? You can't all play!"

"We'll take turns," two Jamies offered. Jubilee let out a frustrated growl.

"Hey, why don't you let it go, Jubes," Scott called from his position as shortstop. "Let's just finish the game!"

"Yeah!" Bobby Drake shouted from home. "We're not done whoopin' yer butts!"

Jubilee's almond eyes blazed at that, and her fingertips began to spark. "Right," she snapped, storming past Scott and several more Jamies on her way back to the pitcher's mound. "Someone get me a ball. The Drakes are goin' down, and they're goin' down hard! Jamie, pick one to stay. Kurt, come on, get back to your place!"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Cool it down a bit, shug," she said. "Just 'cause you're team captain this time 'round don't give you the right to snap everyone's head off."

"Yeah, it does," Jubilee retorted, her glare sharpening when she noticed Kurt hadn't moved from the edge of the pond. "Yo! Kurt! What's the hold up over there!"

"I don't know," the German mutant called back, his accented voice oddly subdued. "There is something…strange…in the water."

"Strange how?" Scott asked. His red shades made his expression hard to read, but his curiosity was clear in his voice.

"There is…this lump. These lumps. They look like yellow brains."

"Yellow brains?" Kitty lowered her bat.

"Ja," Kurt asserted, never taking his eyes from the pond. "It's pretty gross, actually. They are kind of giving me the creeps."

Scott and Jean looked at each other, then shrugged and walked over to join Kurt. The rest of the players trickled after them, their curiosity overriding their interest in the game.

"Hey!" Jubilee protested. "Hey, come back! We've got to finish this game before dinner!"

But no one was listening to her. They were too busy poking at the peculiar yellowish lumps with sticks. After a stubborn, sulky moment, Jubilee stomped over to join them.

"Careful!" Kurt exclaimed when one of the Jamies' sticks got too close. "We don't want to damage them. What if they leak?"

"They're kind of firm, like old Jello," Bobby observed, tapping another lump with his own stick. "What do you suppose they are?"

"And who could have put them here?" Jean added, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I've never seen anything like them before. And look at that texture…almost like a half-deflated kickball."

"OK, guys, this is like, totally nasty," Kitty scrunched up her nose. "I mean, this pond is gross to begin with, and now there's like these alien pod things growing in there. I think we should tell the Professor."

"Alien pods?" repeated the Jamie nearest to her, suddenly looking rather pale. "You don't really think… They couldn't really be alien, could they?"

Scott shook his head, at a loss. "I don't know. Personally, I doubt it, but hey, just look at us. We're pretty much proof that anything's possible."

"Thanks, Scott. That was really reassuring," Jean frowned. "But there is something strange about these lumps. Just looking at them…it makes my head sort of tingle…almost like…like a life reading."

Kitty shuddered. "Oh, God. You had better be kidding."

"No, I'm serious. Those things…they're alive." Jean took in a sudden breath, then turned away. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said. "We can finish the game somewhere else."

"But—" a Jamie started to protest, but another Jamie pulled him back.

"Just leave them alone," he said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Scott agreed. "Let's move over to the lawn behind the atrium. That means you too, Kurt," he added, tapping his apparently transfixed friend on the shoulder.

"Hm? Was? Oh…oh ja." He straightened from his crouch with a small smile, his long tail twitching behind him. "But I'm coming back later. I want to find out what these things are."

"Yeah, well you're welcome to it," Jubilee scorned. "'S probably just fungus or something."

"That could make sense," Scott said, but Jean shook her head.

"No, no it's not a fungus or a plant," she said, the certainty in her voice sending a chill down everyone's spine. "Whatever it is…it's a creature. And not just one." She straightened, her green eyes snapping open. "Yeah, OK, forget the game," she said. "I say we go to the Professor about this. Right now."

_To Be Continued…_

So, what do you think so far? Please Review!


	2. Part II

**Part II  
**  
Professor Xavier looked up from his work only to find his office had become inundated with young people. Tapping his stack of freshly graded papers against his desk, he set them aside and said, "Yes?"

About two dozen voices immediately began speaking at once. The professor winced and held up his hands, turning his attention to the two most dominant voices to his right: those of Jean and Scott.

"Now then, all of you, quiet," he said, his calm indoor voice somehow cutting through the noise. "Jean, Scott, one of you please tell me what's going on."

"Well, Professor, it's like this," Jean said, speaking before Scott thought to open his mouth. "You know that pond out back? The one Dr. McCoy uses for his science lessons on microorganisms?"

"Indeed," he nodded and furrowed his brow. "What of it?"

"There's something living in there, Professor," one of the Jamies broke in. "Something alien!"

"Honestly, Professor, it's like, totally gross," Kitty agreed with a little shiver. "Kurt found these _things_ in the pond while we were playing baseball, and they just, like, completely creeped us out. They're like, these huge yellow brains, and Jean said they were alive—like, creatures alive, not plants or fungi or anything."

"Kitty thought they were alien pods," Bobby put in, but Kitty's glare prevented him from adding any more than a smug smirk.

"So, there it is, Professor," Scott said. "Do you have any idea what they are?"

Xavier's lips had been twitching upwards in a strange sort of smile while Kitty was talking, but now his expression smoothed out and he drew in a thoughtful, considering breath. "Hmm… Not having seen your mysterious life form for myself, I'm afraid there is little I can tell you," he said, and the gathered group moaned. "But—" he added, holding up a stilling hand, "that doesn't prevent any of you from conducting an investigation of your own. If these things are of extraterrestrial origin, I'd say a full scientific study would be in order...just to rule out any earthly possibility that they could be from Earth." He smiled. "Now, who among you feels up to such a challenge?"

Most of the kids had come in there looking for a quick answer. The prospect of having to investigate the question for themselves left them cold, especially when they considered how much work they already had to do for their classes. Bobby, Rogue and Jubilee were already edging out of the office when Kurt spoke up.

"I'll do it, Herr Professor," he said, his voice somewhat hesitant at first, then growing more firm as he warmed to the idea. "I discovered the things. I would like to find out what they are."

"I'll help too," Kitty stepped forward, and Kurt immediately broke out in a wide, though slightly bashful smile.

"Danke," he said. Kitty shrugged.

"Hey, I'm curious too, you know," she said. "Besides, you're gonna need someone who can type." She glanced at his thick, fuzzy fingers. "No offense."

"None taken," Kurt said with a smile, but his tail twitched as he clasped his hands behind his back. Jean and Scott shared a look. The Professor smiled a broad, polite smile and nodded.

"Good, good," he said. "Then that's settled. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I do have some rather pressing business, so…"

"Ah, so that was his 'I'm kicking you out now' smile," Bobby whispered to Rogue, who smirked. Jean shot him a warning look.

"We understand, Professor," she said. "Thank you for your time."

Xavier nodded, already sorting through a thick stack of papers that still needed his attention. As the kids filed out, Jean gave Bobby a mental shove just strong enough to send him stumbling through the doorway.

"Hey! What was that for?" he scowled at Jean as she sauntered past.

"Nothing," she smiled.

Xavier glanced up. "Oh, Kurt, Kitty, just one more thing," he said, catching them just his side of the hallway. Turning their heads in tandem, they chorused, "Yeah, Professor?" and immediately scowled at each other. Xavier smiled.

"Keep me advised of your progress," he said. "I'd like very much to know what you find out."

"Will do, mein Herr," Kurt assured him. "We're going to start the investigation straight after supper."

"What!" Kitty exclaimed. "No! _Friends_ is on after dinner! They're having, like, this mini-marathon where they're playing all the episodes from season—"

"You wanted to help, yes?" Kurt retorted. "Today, we are scientists. Detectives! We have no time for all that TV! Isn't that right, Professor?"

But the Professor had gone back to his work and Kitty had already walked away in a huff.

"Fine then!" he called after her. "If that's the way you feel about it, we can be detectives tomorrow. I was wanting to watch Errol Flynn's _The Sea Hawk_ again anyway," he added more quietly to himself.

At the end of the hallway, Kitty paused with a sigh.

"The pond," she said. "Tonight, seven o'clock. Bring a camera." She turned a corner out of sight. Kurt clenched his fist and brought his elbow in for a victory, "Yes!" Then, with an evil grin, he bamfed away to beat Kitty to dinner.

_To Be Continued..._

Reviews welcome!


	3. Part III

Thanks very much! I hope you like this next part!

**Part III**

"Ergg, they're even creepier in the twilight." Kitty shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. "The way the orangey sunlight just shines right through them…it's like, it makes them, like, glow or something. Like they really are alive."

"Ja, I know it," Kurt agreed, crouching at the edge of the pond to take another photograph with the digital camera. "But they are kind of pretty too, don't you think? And look there. Do you see that, where the light shines through the jelly stuff?"

He pointed to the underwater blobs and Kitty leaned over with her hands on her knees, squinting to get a closer look. "They're little dots!" she exclaimed. "No…not dots… Yiike!" She gasped and jumped back. "It moved. One of them, it like, twitched! Oh my God, oh my God, what if it's true? What if they are, like, alien eggs and those dots are, like…" She gave a nervous little hop, unwilling to finish the thought out loud.

"_Was_, alien embryos?" Kurt gave the blobs a nervous frown, then shook his head firmly, looking through the camera's viewscreen as he prepared his next shot. "Nein. Nein, it cannot be true. Why would aliens lay their eggs here?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Kitty countered. "Think about it! A school full of young mutants just learning how to control their powers… What self-respecting alien invasion fleet would pass that up?"

Kurt smirked at her, and took a few more shots. "All right," he said, his tail twitching as he straightened up. "I think we have enough photographs."

"Great," Kitty nodded. "I'm, like, so ready to get out of here. What's our next move? Back to the Professor? Maybe if we tell him about the dots he'll, like—"

"No, Kitty! The Professor wanted us to figure this out ourselves," Kurt pointed out. "He would not be happy if we keep running back to him whenever we spot something new. I think our next step should be the library."

Kitty sighed and looked longingly back at the mansion, where the TV room lights were a warm glow against the fading twilight.

"Katzchen?" Kurt prompted.

"Oh, all right," she said. "But I don't know how we're, like, supposed to even _start_ the search. I mean, what do I type in? 'Alien Eggs' will get, like, a billion results!"

"_Was_? What are you—?" Kurt looked confused for a moment, but then the light dawned. "Ach, no! No, I meant we search though _books_, not the Internet. You know, find a bunch of nature books and magazines and stuff and try to match the photographs."

"Kuurt!" Kitty whined. "That'll take, like, _hours_!"

"So? What did you expect? We just walk into the library and the answer magically appears?"

Kitty shot him a dark look. "It would if I knew what to search for! That's what computers are for!"

"Well, in this case, the computer won't cut it," Kurt retorted. "At least, not yet. We must narrow the search first and, for that, we will require books. So, are you coming? Because, if you would rather watch _Friends…_"

Kitty shot another glance at the blobs, all dark and dun-colored now that the sun had nearly set. She ground her teeth in a slight snarl. "Fine, all right, you got me," she sighed. "There's no way I'll be able to sit back and just, like, watch TV knowing these things are out here. It'll drive me nuts, and I won't be able to concentr—Yeep!" She jumped. "There they go again!"

She backed away from the twitching specimens, then grabbed Kurt's hand, much to the young mutant's surprise.

"Come on, Kurt, let's get out of here," she said, tugging him after her as she hared back to the mansion. "No way I'm staying out here with those things in the dark!"

* * *

"Well, they're not frog eggs, that's for sure," Kitty said, pushing her fourth nature magazine across the table and reaching for a fifth. "Any luck on your side, Kurt?"

"Not yet," Kurt called back from his spot in the stacks, where he was curled up on the floor with a pile of well-thumbed science books. "Only two of these books have had pictures so far, and one of them was only drawings."

Kitty flicked through her magazine as though it were an animation flip book, then skidded it into the discarded pile with a frustrated sigh. "You know, if they are alien," she said, "all this is a waste of time. I mean, like, we're never gonna find pictures of alien eggs in a science book!"

Kurt sighed and lowered his head. "You're right Katzchen," he said. "But…" Jumping to his feet, the young mutant rushed over to the table to grab the camera. Kitty frowned.

"Kurt, what are you doing?"

"Come on, Katzchen, I have an idea," he said over his shoulder, already at the door.

Kitty snapped her magazine shut and joined him in the hall. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the med bay," Kurt said with a smile. "Perhaps Doktor McCoy will be able to give us a few pointers on how to narrow our search."

_To Be Continued…_

Please Review!


	4. Part IV

Part IV

"Ah. So, your search through the stacks turned up only dust," Dr. Hank McCoy said with a strangely knowing smirk. "How unfortunate."

"Yeah, it is," Kitty said, and shot Kurt a look.

"_Was_?" he said, but she just shook her head.

"It's been, like, so totally frustrating!" she told Hank. "I mean, it's like, we looked through _everything_—magazines, nature books, science texts. But the blobs aren't in any of them." She crossed her arms. "Just like I said they wouldn't be."

Now it was Kurt's turn to look annoyed. "_Anyway,_" he said pointedly, "That's why we're here, Doktor McCoy." He handed him the camera, the LCD window displaying his best photo of the blobs: the one that clearly showed the peculiar dark dots suspended inside. "We were hoping you could help us. What do you think: are they alien?"

Hank slipped his glasses over his furry blue nose and turned his scrutinizing gaze on the display screen. His eyebrows went up and he rubbed his chin.

"What is it?" Kitty asked eagerly. "Do you know what they are?"

"You know," Hank frowned, "I'm not really sure."

Kitty's face fell.

"However," Hank continued, "there is something strangely familiar about this image…I feel as though I have seen it before, or something very like it. Where did you say these 'blobs' were located again?"

"In the pond by the field," Kurt supplied. "They are growing around the twigs and things under the water."

"Ah, of course! Interesting…" Hank handed the camera back to Kurt and walked across his lab to his computer. "Well it seems you have a genuine mystery on your hands," he said, pushing his keyboard aside and opening his spiral-bound notebook. "I'll be curious to know what you find out. Do please remember to keep me informed of your progress."

Kitty gaped. "You mean, you're not going to help us?" she said, openly flabbergasted.

"And deny you the thrill of the chase?" he smiled, showing his startlingly sharp teeth. "This is your hunt, not mine. But, I shall provide you with a clue."

"What is that, Doktor McCoy?" Kurt asked, trying to calm Kitty's rising ire with a pointed glance.

"These 'blobs' of yours," said Hank, flipping through his notes. "I can assure you that they are not of alien origin."

Kitty frowned. "Wait," she said. "If you, like, don't know what they are, then how can you know for sure they're not alien?"

Hank just smiled. "That's all the direction I can give you. Take it or leave it as you will. As for me," he said, snapping his notebook shut and striding back to his lab table, "I have a great deal of work to do. Good luck to you both."

* * *

"I don't believe this," Kitty grumbled as she and Kurt headed back to the library. "First the Professor, now Dr. McCoy. We're like, totally getting stymied at every turn. Something's up, I can feel it." 

"You are being paranoid, Katzchen," Kurt said, scanning through his pictures on the camera. "Herr Professor and Doktor McCoy just want us to figure this out for ourselves. And you can't really blame them. They are teachers, ja? They cannot help themselves."

"No, I think it's more than that," Kitty frowned. "Did you see that look Hank gave us?"

Kurt puckered his brow. "What do you mean?"

Kitty sighed in exasperation at his slowness. "Professor Xavier had that same look when we brought all this up in his office. It was all, like, weird and knowing, like they know what's going on and won't tell us." She stopped short, her expression suddenly tense and worried. "Kurt… Do you think the pods could be affecting them?"

"Affecting them?" Kurt frowned. "Do you mean like mind control?"

"Yeah! Think about it. We saw those dots twitching, right?"

"Ja, but…"

"No, no buts," Kitty cut him off in her excitement. "What if we got it wrong, Kurt? What if those blobs aren't eggs or embryos at all, or even alien pods, but really giant brains! Giant alien brains that have come to Earth to take over the world's most powerful telepath!"

Kurt shivered, but shook his head. "Nein," he said. "Nein, I can't believe that. Such a scenario…it is just so…so…"

"So what?" Kitty frowned. "Crazy? Nuts? These are _aliens_ we're talking about here, Kurt. Potentially dangerous aliens. Besides, wasn't that what you said when you first discovered the things? That they looked like yellow brains?"

Kurt frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Kitty," he said. "If what you say is true…"

"If what I say is true, then we don't have any time to waste," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the corridor. "Those things have already started to exert their insidious influence on two of the most powerful minds in the country. Come on!"

"But… Katzchen, we just passed the library!"

"We're not going to the library this time," she told him, her expression intent. "We're going to the computer lab!"

_To Be Concluded..._

_Reviews Appreciated! _


	5. Part V

Hi! Well, here it is, the conclusion of this story. Thanks for your reviews and comments, and I hope you like this last part!!!

* * *

Part V 

"Here, see," Kitty said, pointing to her computer screen. "Right here! I typed 'alien brain' into Google's Image Search and look! First picture to come up" (1).

Kurt squinted at the thumbnail image she was pointing to. "Mein Gott," he breathed. "That sketch does look remarkably like our blobs."

"I know, it's like, totally eerie," Kitty agreed. "And there, lower down," she pointed. "That one with all those bluish dots inside." She shivered. "So, what do you think?"

Kurt sighed. "I still don't know, Kitty," he said. "None of these are real photographs. They are just drawings."

"But they look _exactly_ like the blobs," Kitty said. "It's got to be more than coincidence. And when you consider the Professor's and Hank's weird behavior…"

"I still think we are being too hasty…"

"Hasty?" Kitty scoffed. "Come on, Kurt, look at the evidence! These pictures are practically dead on!"

"OK," Kurt said. "Let's say that you are right. The things outside in the pond _are_ alien brains, and they are exerting their influence over Herr Professor and Doktor McCoy. What do we do about it?"

Kitty frowned thoughtfully. "We could tell Mr. Logan. Or Miss Munroe."

"And what if they are being manipulated too?" Kurt asked. "If we tell them of our suspicions, the aliens will know we are onto them." He sighed. "You see, Kitty, if we go with this alien idea, we will have to suspect everybody. There will be no one we can trust, not even each other! And I'm just not convinced. Not yet."

Kitty looked a little hesitant, but finally nodded.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, and turned to face him. "So, how do you kill an alien brain?"

Kurt rolled his golden eyes at her stubbornness, but gave a wry little smile. "Simple enough," he said. "We have to be smarter than it is."

"Oh right, yeah, simple," Kitty said sarcastically. "And just how would you propose we do that?"

"We have to eliminate all other options," Kurt told her. "We type in a few other ideas and, if none of them look like our blobs, it'll only prove you're right about the brains."

"And if they do, what do we do then?" Kitty asked. "Just, like, accept Dr. McCoy was right and leave the brains alone to infiltrate our school?"

"Katzchen," Kurt said. "Let's just try this, ja? Type in something else. Something from Earth."

Kitty shot him a look. "Yeah, that's good, Kurt. 'Something from Earth.' Way to narrow it down."

Kurt shrugged. "Well…how about 'eggs'? Type in 'amphibian eggs.'"

"But I already told you they're not from frogs," Kitty frowned.

"Frogs are not the only amphibians on the planet, ja?" Kurt pointed out. "Just type it in."

Kitty sighed. "Fine," she said, typing quickly then punching the 'Search Images' button. "Amphibian eggs; there you are. Tons of photos, and not a single one of them looks like our blobs" (2).

"Scroll down," Kurt instructed.

"Kurt…"

"Scroll down!" he repeated. Kitty grumbled a little, but obliged. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she gasped, just as Kurt pointed in excitement to the last photograph on the page.

"That one!" he exclaimed. "That yellowish blob with the dots! That's our blob, right there! What does it say, beneath?"

"'They are salamander eggs…'" Kitty read, and her eyes widened. "Salamander eggs! No way. Have you ever seen a salamander? They're absolutely tiny! No way they could lay a massive egg blob like that."

"Well, let's look up 'salamander eggs' in a regular search," Kurt said, watching intently while she typed. "What does it say?"

"Hm," Kitty frowned at the screen. "All these sites talk about salamanders in places like Michigan and Chicago. There's nothing here about New York."

"Does that matter?" Kurt asked. "I would think most North American salamanders would be pretty similar, at least when they're eggs. You can't deny that the pictures are clearly identical. And look there!" he pointed to a passage halfway down the screen. "It says a salamander 'attaches its egg clusters to submerged sticks or plants in woodland pools. Each newly-laid 2-inch blob of jelly, containing about 50 one-eighth-inch eggs, later swells to twice this size'" (3). He shot her a triumphant grin. "Ha! There you are! That explains how these tiny salamanders can lay such huge egg blobs. They expand in the water! A completely earthly explanation."

Kitty crossed her arms. "I don't know, Kurt," she frowned. "It all seems too easy somehow."

Kurt stared. "Easy?" he repeated. "Are you kidding me?"

Kitty shrugged and slouched even further in her chair. Kurt frowned.

"You're really disappointed, aren't you," he said. "You wanted the blobs to be alien."

"No, not _wanted,_" Kitty protested. "But salamander eggs… It just seems so, like…I don't know. Like, mundane or something. And now we're gonna have to tell everyone, after all that hype over alien pods…"

"Hey, I think it's cool," Kurt said. "And I think the others will think so too. I mean, salamander eggs! No one would have guessed that."

"Yeah, except for Professor Xavier," Kitty sulked. "He knew all the time, and he was, like, laughing at us. No wonder he was acting so weird. And Doctor McCoy. He figured it out too, I just know it." She sighed. "You were right, Kurt. This whole thing was like, some kind of evil teacher scheme to teach us to figure stuff out for ourselves. They made us go through the motions, when they could have just said 'oh, yeah, those are salamander eggs,' and saved us all this trouble. I mean, I missed so much _Friends_ because of this! And it just stings, you know? Knowing the Professor pulled our chain, and it was all just a gigantic waste of time."

Kurt blinked and looked away. "Oh," he said.

"What?" Kitty snapped. "What are you all mopey about? You got your answer, you should be happy!"

"Ja," Kurt nodded.

"Kurt," she frowned. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry you missed your show, Katzchen," he said quietly. "I thought… But it doesn't matter. You can go watch the TV if you want. I'll go tell the Professor what we found out."

Kitty rolled her eyes in exasperation. "All right," she said. "Why are you being like this?"

"I'm not…it's just…" he lowered his eyes. "Well, I thought, for a while there, we were having fun."

Kitty furrowed her brow, then her eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh…" She shook her head. "No, Kurt, what I said about wasting time… I didn't really mean it like that," she said. "It _was_ fun chasing down the answer with you. I'm just sorry it wasn't, like, you know, cooler. That's all. It's like, what Dr. McCoy said, about the thrill of the hunt. I really felt that. So…thanks."

Kurt lifted his head. "Ja?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "That _Friends_ marathon is just a bunch of reruns anyway. I'm…" she smirked a little and nodded. "I'm glad I spent this time with you."

A slow, toothy smile spread over Kurt's fuzzy face, and he took her hand.

"Katzchen?"

"Yeah, Kurt?"

"I'll race you to the living room."

"What?"

"Come on!" he grinned, helping her to rise and leading her to the door. "We've got to tell the others what we've found!"

Smiling at his infectious excitement, Kitty shot him a wicked grin and said, "Fine. Just wait one second before you bamf away."

"How come?" Kurt asked curiously.

"I want to print out that picture of the alien brains," Kitty said.

Kurt shot her a look. "Katzchen…"

"What?" Kitty smirked. "We did all the work finding out the answer for them all. Now it's time to have a little fun!"

The End

* * *

References: 

(1) You can see the pictures Kitty found by going to Google's Image Search and typing in 'alien brain.' I tried to include a direct link, but this site won't let me...

(2) You can also see the amphibian egg pictures they found by going to Google's Image Search and typing in 'amphibian eggs.'

(3) Kurt is referencing the information on this site: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/600-699/nb600.htm

NOTE: This story was actually inspired by a real life mystery my Dad and I solved this past summer. It was a lot of fun figuring out that those weird blobs we found in the little pond in our local park were actually salamander eggs, and I wrote this as a way to sort of share that experience. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks very much for reading!

Please review!


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